Investigative Committee Breitscheidplatz: NRW investigators raises accusations against Berlin police

Who bears the responsibility for the investigation errors in the case of Amri? The national criminal offices of Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia each have their own fault.

Investigative Committee Breitscheidplatz: NRW investigators raises accusations against Berlin police

A senior terrorist investigator from North Rhine-Westphalia raised accusations against his colleague from capital in Committee of Inquiry of Berlin House of Deputies. The Berlin police did not keep up with collusion from joint Counter-Terrorism Centre (GTAZ) and thus prevented later terrorist Anis Amri from being effectively monitored, he said.

Before Amri arrived at central bus Station Berlin on 18 February 2016, state defenders from North Rhine-Westphalia had informed officials in Berlin and asked to observe AMRI concealed. However, Berlin police arrested him temporarily and took his cell phone.

As a result, Amri was obviously warned, because he n called several contacts with anor phone and instructed m to throw away ir cell phones, official from NRW told. "We have been completely surprised by control."

As official furr said, it was also difficult to reach Berlin colleagues on that day at all. The responsible investigators from Berliner LKA 54 called back about an hour after first call from NRW and said to observe Amri as desired. But y could not be reached all day, because whole team was on a management meeting. The police in NRW n learned at noon that Amri had been checked against agreement.

The Berlin police objected. Berlin could not have afforded an observation, "for capacity reasons," said contact officer of Berliner LKA in GTAZ in front of committee, which deals with possible authorities failure in investigation. But decision to hold on to Amri instead was agreed: "As far as I know, one has agreed that one also controls it once."

Gone badly

The investigator of Berlin Senate, Bruno Jost, also came to this conclusion in his final report. The person control was "not objectionable and corresponded to procedure adopted at 4.2.2016 in GTAZ", it says.

The Berlin official said to members of Parliament that re was "atmospheric upset" at meeting in GTAZ day after control at bus station. However, fact that mobile phones of LKA line were turned off during executive meeting and that agreements were impossible could definitely exclude m.

The Berlin official, who had checked Amri at Berlin station, had been entrusted with case for some time, so he knew himself. Neverless, terrorist investigator from North Rhine-Westphalia described him as an "inexperienced colleague". An experienced colleague would have acted differently, he argued. The NRW official also criticised fact that case with a "better-trained State protection department" in Berlin would be "better".

Stephan Lenz, chairman of CDU in Committee of Inquiry, said that re was obviously a dissent in perception in Berlin and in NRW. "It frightens that in one of major terrorist investigations coordination did not succeed."

Date Of Update: 17 February 2018, 12:03
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